Metal reed for wind instruments



Feb.v 8, 1927.

1,616,748 D. G. HORTON METAL REED FOR WIND INSTRUMENTS Filed May 4. 1925rwen loz Q, 6: #0? 70/1.

Patented Feb. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

v DOCK HORTON, F BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SAMUEL P.

I ORR, 0F BESSEMER, ALABAMA.

METAL REED FOR WIND INSTRUIIEENTS.

Application filed May 4, 1925.

invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in metal reedsfor saxophones, clarionets and other wind instrumentswhich utilizereeds.

The object of my invention is to provide a reed made of rust-proof,non-corrosive and non-staining metal which shall have superiordurability to the reeds at present iii-general use and which is sodesigned and mounted as to be capable of ready adjustment to produce ahigh or low tone.

It is of special advantage that my reed will have a constant toneunaffected by moisture and, being of metal, can be thoroughly sterilizedand will prove highly durable.

My invention further contemplates making the entire reed of a thin metalstrip which, at the butt end, is shaped to con form to the clamp .andwhich has its tongue end flattened and ground or rolled very thin ascompared with the butt end.

It is a further distinctive feature of my invention that the butt endshall be shaped with its side edges struck on a slight curve as viewedin side elevation so that by tightp emng up or loosenmg on 1ts two clampscrews, it may be rocked on the instrument to set its tongue end high orlow and thus vary the tone.

My invention also comprises the novel details of construction which arehereinafter more particularly described and claimed in the accompanyingdrawings which form a part of this specification, and in which 1- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the mouthpiece of a typical wind instrumentshowing 5 mounted thereon and adapted to engage the butt end 6 of thereed which has a flattened tongue end 7 As shown, the reed is made ofthin rust-proof sheet metal pref-.

Serial No. 28,069.

erably stainless and which is approximately .025 inches thick. The sheetmetal of this thickness is cut into blank strips with the sides 8 of itsbutt end curved and then this butt end is curved in transverse crosssection to correspond to the clamp curvature. The sides of the butt endprovide a rocking bearing on the mouthpiece, so that by tightening oneclamp screw and loosening the other. the butt end can be rocked on itsbearing to vary the distance of the tongue 7 from the mouthpiece. Thetongue 7 of the reed is flattened and is ground or rolled to a thicknessof about .002 inches, and this thin portion extends back the requireddistance according to the instrument with which the reed is to be usedand the size of the reed. This fiattened tongue end of the reed will fora substantial portion thereof rest fiat upon and be held tightly againstthe flattened top of the mouth piece of the instrument, as will appearmore clearly in Fig. 3, so that a substantially air tight joint is thusprovided which will prevent the air getting under the reed and at thesame time, due to the flexible character of the reed, will permit of itsadjustments as herein described. Due to the flexibility of the reed andthe delicacy of its adjustments, it will rock about the flattened top ofthe mouthpiece as a fulcrum without breaking the air tight joint thatshould be preserved between the reed and this part of the mouth piece.The thickness of this tongue portion at its rear end is graduallyincreased until it reaches the full thickness of the sheet metal at thebutt ends. It is preferable that the metal used shall be one that willnot corrode or stain, and that will not react to the acids of the mouth.

Though I have described with great particularity the details of theembodiment of the invention herein shown, it is not to be construed thatI am limited thereto, as changes in arrangement and substitution ofequivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the invention as defined in the appended claims.

hat I claim is 2- 1. A metal reed for wind instruments formed of a stripof thin sheet metal having a transversely arched concavo-convex butt endmerging into a flattened and substantially thinner tongue end which isadapted to rest with a substantially air tight joint on the top of theinstrument.

2. A metal reed for wind instruments ac cording to claim 1 in which thebutt end of the reed has side bearing edges adapted to engage themouthpiece of the instrument and which are longitudinally curved, incombination with clamp means to rock said reed and adjust the space ofits tongue end relatively to the mouthpiece.

3. The combination with a mouthpiece of a wind instrument, of a reedclamp having a pair 01 set screws, and a metal reed having its butt end.arched to conform to the clamp and having its side bearing edgeslongitudinally convex, the tongue end of said clamp being flattened andsubstantially thinner than its butt end.

a. A metal reed for wind instruments formed of a thin strip ofnon-corrosive, acid-proof metal having its butt end arched transverselyand provided with longitudinal convex side bearing edges, the tongue endof said reed being flattened and reduced materially in thickness fromits free end to a point adjacent to its junction with the archedbuttend.

In testimony whereof I a'llix my signature.

DOOK G. HORTON.

